1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to archery equipment and more particularly to an improved compound archery bow assembly with novel cable slide guide and drawcheck.
2. Prior Art
Various so-called compound archery bows have become very popular because they provide gradual arrow acceleration and thus less arrow bending, thereby improving arrow speed and accuracy. Moreover, compound bows generally provide a mechanical advantage and allow the archer to hold at full draw at a lower draw weight than the maximum draw weight encountered during the draw. This also promotes improved shooting accuracy.
However, compound bows normally have two or more lengths of cable trained over limb cable wheels and spanning the length of the bow close to and about parallel to the bowstring. As the arrow is shot, its fletching may strike the cables, causing fletching wear and reducing arrow accuracy. In order to avoid this, some compound bow arrows have been fletched with very small flexible vanes. Such vanes are less than ideal in stabilizing arrow flight under certain shooting conditions.
A newer, more satisfactory solution to arrow vane wear has been to install a cable guard. Such a guard is usually connected to the bow handle and an arm thereof extends rearwardly and laterally to deflect the cables laterally out of the arrow's path. Unfortunately, the alignment of the cables with each other and passage by each other may be adversely affected and cable wear can occur where the guard intercepts them. Accordingly, there is a need to provide optimal cable alignment and minimal cable wear when a cable guard is used.
Most archers use drawchecks, usually of the audible clicker type, to indicate when they have reached full bowstring draw and thus enable them to have the bowstring apply the same propelling force to the arrow each time, thereby improving shooting accuracy. The drawchecks are usually secured to the arrow window in the bow handle section, and the arrow is fed between the flexible drawcheck blade and the bow sidewall defining the side of the window. When the arrow is drawn by the bowstring to full draw, its point just clears the rear of the drawcheck blade, which then springs against the bow sidewall and clicks, signalling time for the release of the bowstring, and the archer fires. Unfortunately, the drawcheck blade biases the arrow sideways under its spring tension until the blade is cleared, at which time the arrow tends to spring slightly laterally of the bow, shooting somewhat erratically and inaccurately, depending on the amount of time between the click and the bowstring release. This lateral spring is accentuated if the arrow while on the rest is, as is usually the case, spaced from the bow sidewall by a spring biased plunger. Accordingly, there is a need for an improved type of drawcheck which will not exert tension on the arrow and cause shooting inaccuracy.